Family Council
The Velupillai Family Council is a component of Family Politics, along with the President. The Family Council has no fixed sitting place, and mobilizes and meets at wherever a Family Reunion is being held. The Family Council is a mix of democratically elected and appointed seats, whose members are known as Family Councillors (FCs). There are 20 members of Family Council, of which 18 are elected and 2 are appointed. Members are elected by simple plurality ('first-past-the-post' system) in each of the family's electoral districts, which are colloquially known as wards. Councillors may hold office until Council is dissolved and serve for constitutionally limited terms of up to one year after an election. Seats on the Family Council are distributed roughly in proportion to the population of each family section. However, some wards are more populous than others. The Family Council was established in 2008, when the Family Council Act created it. The Family President stays in office only as long as he or she retains the support, or "confidence", of the Council. Members and Districts Family Council is divided into 6 Family wards, each named after the surname of the six children of Raffik and Clarissa. Each Ward has 2 or 3 seats (depending on the amount of family members). * Singh Ward (Descendants of Linda) - 3 * Velupillai Ward (Descendants of Claude) - 3 * Clarkson Ward (Descendants of Gabrielle) - 2 * Halton Ward (Descendants of Elizabeth) - 3 * Church Ward (Descendants of Helen) - 2 * Anderson Ward (Descendants of Cecile) - 2 On top of the 6 wards - which constitute 15 seats, there are also two appointed At-Large Seats given to the oldest blood male and oldest blood female in the family - currently Claude (A-Velupillai) and Linda (T-Singh). The President and two Senators are elected at-large by all family members. Elections Elections for the 15 Ward Councillors happen once a year, on the first Saturday of December. The elected councillors then take their seat the following January 1st. The President has a term for two years, and their elections take place at the same time as Family Councillors. At-Large members do not face elections, while Senators have a staggered system where one senator goes for election every year in alternating fashion. Committees The Family Council uses committees for a variety of purposes. Committees consider bills in detail, and may make amendments. Other committees scrutinize various Family agencies and initiatives. Potentially, the largest of the Council committees are the Committees of the Whole, which, as the name suggests, consist of all the members on Council. A Committee of the Whole meets in the Family Council chamber, but proceeds under slightly modified rules of debate. (For example, a member may make more than one speech on a motion in a Committee of the Whole, but not during a normal session of the House.) Instead of the Speaker, the Chairman of the Committee presides. Council resolves itself into a Committee of the Whole to discuss appropriation bills, and sometimes for other legislation. Family Council also has 5 standing committees, each of which has responsibility for a particular area of family government. These committees meet in seperate rooms outside the set up Family Council chamber (usually two committees go at once) - and two hours are allocated for each committee during family reunions. These committees oversee the relevant departments, may hold hearings and collect evidence on operations and review spending plans. Standing committees may also consider and amend bills. Standing committees consist of between 5 and 8 members each, and elect their own chairmen. Current Committees * Standing Committee on Accounts * Standing Committee on Media * Standing Committee on Peace & Interfamily Affairs * Standing Committee on Reunions * Standing Committee on Youth Affairs Current Composition Proceedings and Rules Currently, there are severe restrictions on Family members who are not Councillors to attend Family Council meetings. In lieu of attendance, there is always an official transcript recorder who records the meetings and creates a paper transcript, which can be downloaded from the family website. Family members are also usually blocked from attending committee hearings unless they are called to testify. Many committee meetings are held closed door, although some are also held with an open-door when it includes family consultations.